Morning Mashup: Grading the Offseason Acquisitions

Itâ€™s the middle of November, and schools across the land are giving out report cards.Â Meanwhile, in the nationâ€™s universities, professorsâ€™ TAs are hard at work grading studentsâ€™ essays before the drop date.Â With just over 20% of the Leafs season in the books, letâ€™s take a look at how Brian Burkeâ€™s prized acquisitions have fared so far.

David SteckelGrade: B+

Heâ€™s no superstar, but he tries hard, and effort and attention to detail will always earn part marks.Â For such a big guy, itâ€™s the little things he does so well, whether itâ€™s blocking shots or winning over 60% of his face-offs.Â Heâ€™s the leader amongst the Leafs forward corps in hits (42, tied for team lead with Luke Schenn), blocked shots (20) and penalty kill time on ice per game (2:45).Â Had a three game goal scoring streak early in the season and his ability to win key draws has improved the Leafs possession numbers all season. He’s a big body up front who provides an inside presence, and that’s a lacking element on this roster.

Matthew LombardiGrade: C+

Originally on the waiting list with concussion symptoms, Lombardiâ€™s appearance in every game this season has been in itself shocking. Â However, the former 20-goal/50-point man has a luke warm 6 points in 18 games, leaving fans wanting more.Â At times heâ€™s seemed lost on the ice, and two turnovers of his have led directly to goals that have put away games.

Tim ConnollyGrade: Incomplete; medical exemption

Hard to really gauge Connollyâ€™s performance since heâ€™s only skated in 6 games this season.Â When not injured, heâ€™s put up a slightly above average 4 points and displaying excellent patience and vision with the puck.Â Heâ€™s set to return from injury as early as Thursday, which will come as a welcome relief to the Leafs, who lost 1/3 of their top six last night against Phoenix.

Cody FransonGrade: F

Boyâ€™s got some attendance problems, having been a healthy scratch 14 of 18 games, with the leafs losing 3 of the 4 he has featured in.Â Fransonâ€™s -5 rating isnâ€™t all that desirable either.Â At this stage, heâ€™s got to be praying for an injury to the d-corps to bring him into the line up.Â A far cry from being the treasure of the Lebda trade a mere 4 months ago.

Philippe DupuisGrade: C+

Although Dupuis wasnâ€™t brought in to score, going 0 for 16 hasnâ€™t instilled much belief that he isnâ€™t an interchangeable 4th line grinder.Â His high sticking penalty which led to Ottawaâ€™s 5 â€“ 3 power play goal left a sour taste in the mouths of many in Leafs Nation.Â Nonetheless, when he does feature on the penalty kill, heâ€™s been solid and heâ€™s 3rd amongst Leaf forwards with 27 hits.

John-Michael LilesGrade: A-

So far Liles has been a decided upgrade over the latter day Tomas Kaberle.Â Heâ€™s been integral to the Leafs power play improvement with half of his 10 points coming on the man advantage while leading the team in PPTOI/G (4:12).Â He may be a poor manâ€™s Andrei Markov, but his insertion into the line up has reawakened Mike Komisarekâ€™s game.Â Defensively, heâ€™s a mixed bag, blocking 38 shots, good for second on the team while recording a dismal 14 giveaways.Â When heâ€™s on his game, Liles makes the right decisions in all three zones and has knack finding a streaking winger on the break out.

Michael Stephens has been writing for Maple Leafs Hotstove since 2010, and has featured in the 2010 and 2012 Maple Leaf Annuals. Former Editiorial Intern at The Hockey News. Undergraduate degree from the University of Windsor. Chat me up about all things hockey on twitter @MLHS_Mike